Stay Here Tonight
by ShipMistress
Summary: Post HTTYD3. POSSIBLE SPOILERS! One-shot. After a hard day of getting used to a life without the dragons, Hiccup only needs one person to find his strength again.


**A drabble I wrote for a prompt on Tumblr. Hope you like it :)**

**. o O o .**

It had been a long day. Long weeks, to be precise.

Hiccup had never thought that getting reacquainted to a life without dragons would be that hard. It had been only six years, after all. Sure, six years of _"Toothless, could you light the hearth for me?"_, of _"Wait, I'll fly over to Melody Island and get some more Deathsong amber,"_, of _"Oh, Dagur and Mala sent a Terror Mail, apparently Heather and Atali finally are getting married,"_ and of _"Come on, Astrid. Let's head out, just you and me. If we go now, we'll be back by dawn,"_.

But it _really_ shouldn't be that hard. They'd managed before too, hadn't they? They'd used sticks or had left the coals glowing, had used ships and more time to get provisions and exchange messages, had settled for sneaking out into the woods instead of to another island. But that life seemed so far away now, and Hiccup had no idea how to return to it.

But they had no choice. Because the dragons were gone, and it was better that way. New Berk just had to get used to it.

With a deep sigh, Hiccup rubbed his face and looked one last time over the construction he and other Berkians had built today; a crane to lift and lower boats and small ships to the ocean below.

"I dare say we did well today, lad." Gobber sounded just as tired as Hiccup felt. Hiccup turned toward where the blacksmith was just packing up his tools.

"I know," he sighed. "It just feels like it wasn't enough. There's still so much to do…"

"Ah, don't despair. You'll see, before long, this place will be a wonderful new home to all of us. And don't forget the happy occasion looming on the horizon. Calm down, and take all this as what it is. A new beginning."

Hiccup nodded mutely, and waved after Gobber and Eret who had come to help carry the many boxes of tools back to the improvised smith and the small hut they shared. A new beginning… Yes, that's what all this was. He just couldn't wait for things to calm down. For things to feel _normal_ again.

On his way back to his hut, that was looming high over the rest of the village, he spotted Valka in the distance, leading a group of people that carried cards and sacks toward the newly-built storehouse. With her having lived away from civilisation for so long, it was only practical for her to oversee the gathering of supplies, for her to teach them which of the foreign plants were edible and which weren't. It was a work she fully engaged in, and even though it meant she practically never had time for anything else – her son included – Hiccup could understand her. It was her way of coping. Sure, she'd known for a long while that this, setting the dragons free to live on their own, had been the only solution. She alone had been prepared, but that didn't mean it was any easier for her. So focusing on practical work was her way of dealing with the loss, and Hiccup let her – even though he really could have used her support.

With a grunt, Hiccup halted in front of one of the few huts that were already habitable. He hadn't meant to go and see Astrid, but apparently, his subconsciousness had decided otherwise by leading him to the Hofferson's new home. Laughing quietly at himself, Hiccup knocked at the Hofferson's door, and waited. Seeing Astrid and maybe spending an hour or two talking to her might be just what he needed to wind down after this day. It didn't take long before Osmond Hofferson opened.

"Ah, good evening, Chief," Astrid's father greeted him. "I... erm, I'd gladly invite you in, but I assume you're looking for Astrid? She's not here yet, still out there somewhere being busy. But I can relay a message to her if you want?"

Hiccup's mood fell further, but he fought not to let it show. "Thanks, Osmond," he sighed. "But there wasn't anything specific. See you around." He quickly waved goodbye and left. He _really_ would have liked to see Astrid today. Just to remind him of how not everything was bleak and hopeless. Because it wasn't, and he knew that. But on days like today, that was hard to remember. Gods, he missed Toothless all the time, but on a day like today, where his leg ached from walking and his back from lifting heavy wood, the reminder was omnipresent.

Feeling even more tired and worn out than before, he trudged on up the hill. He needed sleep but he dreaded spending the night alone in the cold and unfamiliar hut. With Valka having insisted on wanting her own hut to not intrude on the soon-to-be-married couple, the nights were when he missed Toothless the most. The reassuring heavy breathing of his best bud and his shuffling in his sleep. The silence of the empty hut only made the memories worse.

When he entered his new home, however, he found it filled with the warmth of the already lightened hearth and with the pleasant scent of food. He'd just taken off his heavy cloak, curiously looking around, when Astrid appeared from one of the adjacent rooms.

"Hey, babe," she greeted him with a warm if tired smile. She carried a stack of empty boxes and placed them down next to the door before she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Behind her, her mother and her aunt Helka appeared, both carrying boxes as well, and Hiccup realised what they'd been doing. They'd brought over Astrid's dowry in advance; clothes, blankets, kitchenware, and everything else he and Astrid would need for their own household.

The reminder made Hiccup smile despite his former gloomy mood. It was only two days until their wedding. A new beginning, indeed.

"Evening Chief," Astrid's mother Brenna greeted him with her usual kind smile. "We brought you some stew, because Astrid said you probably haven't eaten anything yet."

Hiccup winced, but nodded. "She was right," he admitted reluctantly. "I haven't. Thank you."

Brenna nodded, then she and her sister bid their farewell and left. But when Astrid was about to follow them, Hiccup made her pause with a hand on her arm. She didn't need words to understand, melted easily into his embrace and returned it just as tightly. With a sigh, Hiccup finally relaxed. No matter how difficult and daunting their future seemed to be, together they would manage. A life without dragons – without Toothless – was possible, and Astrid lending him her strength was just the reminder he'd needed.

He couldn't say for how long they stood there like that. All he knew was that, when Astrid shuffled and made attempts to pull away, it was too soon.

"Stay," he murmured into her hair, reluctant to let go of her.

Chuckling, Astrid shifted in his arms until she could place a soft kiss to his neck. "But what would the people say?" she asked, teasing, even as she snuggled closer into his embrace again.

Hiccup snorted in reluctant amusement. It didn't really matter what the people would say, and they both knew that well enough. It wasn't as if they had never sneaked away to spend a night or even a couple of days alone together before. Neither of them had ever had any doubts about the other, and having people gossiping about what they had or hadn't done so far wouldn't change that.

"I don't care," he muttered, and his arms around her tightened. "Stay here tonight. Please?" It wasn't even that he wanted to _do _anything. He just wanted to hold her.

And to his relief, Astrid nodded. "Okay."


End file.
